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Unemployed people suffer more often from physical, emotional complaints: GEDA study

Compared to people in employment, men and women who are unemployed suffer more often and longer from both physical and emotional complaints. Why the un-employed should have health problems more often is discussed by Lars E. Kroll and his coauthor in the current issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 4: 47-52), along with a report on the findings of the GEDA study.

5 Feb 2011

Roundup: Fla. turns down another $1m grant; Colo. provider fees; Conn. bulk Rx purchases

Using as ammunition a Florida judge's ruling this week that the federal healthcare law is unconstitutional, state officials are wasting no time stepping away from the controversial overhaul. Their latest move: rejecting a $1 million federal grant awarded to the Agency for Health Care Administration to plan a system required by the law where consumers can comparison shop for health plans.

5 Feb 2011

Newly identified mosquito subspecies highly susceptible to malaria parasite, prefers outdoors

"Researchers have discovered a previously unknown subspecies of mosquito in West Africa that is highly susceptible to the malaria parasite and whose existence may stymie efforts to eradicate the deadly disease," the Los Angeles Times reports (Khan, 2/4).

5 Feb 2011

Be R.E.A.D.Y. safety initiative to help reduce tube feeding errors in hospitalized kids

In partnership with the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Nestle HealthCare Nutrition launched the "Be R.E.A.D.Y." safety initiative at A.S.P.E.N.'s Clinical Nutrition Week this week to educate pediatric health care professionals on safe enteral (tube) feeding practices for hospitalized kids.

5 Feb 2011

National Minority Quality Forum launches novel resource to map lung cancer prevalence estimates

In recognition of World Cancer Day, the National Minority Quality Forum today launched the Lung Cancer Atlas. This novel resource enables users to map lung cancer prevalence estimates and total counts at the zip-code level for the United States as well as for individual states, federal and state legislative districts.

5 Feb 2011

Tenet signs multi-year agreement with UnitedHealthcare

Tenet Healthcare Corporation today announced it signed a multi-year agreement with UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Pennsylvania that covers Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, PA. The agreement also covers physicians employed by subsidiaries of the two hospitals. Financial terms of the agreement were not released.

5 Feb 2011

Pay gap growing for women physicians

Women are playing a greater and greater role in medicine. But when it comes to salaries, they're actually losing ground. A provocative study in the current issue of the journal Health Affairs finds female physicians' average starting salaries earned nearly $17,000 less than their male counterparts' in 2008.

5 Feb 2011

March of Dimes appreciates FDA for approving new drug to prevent preterm births

The first-ever drug known to prevent some preterm births, which won market approval today from the Food and Drug Administration, was welcomed by the March of Dimes.

5 Feb 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

"Africa should be one of the leading regions in shaping global food security policies and feeding the future instead of others shaping it for Africa. Developing practical, integrative and more small-scale solutions for agricultural inputs and outputs, farming, and for managing both land and water resources, will help Africa provide for future generations on the Continent and elsewhere," Robin Renee Sanders, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, writes in a Huffington Post blog post.

5 Feb 2011

Roundup: House Republicans plan to advance anti-abortion agenda with action next week; Medical device makers lobby to repeal tax

House Republicans said Thursday that they plan to consider two significant bills next week that would prevent taxpayer-funded abortions. One of the controversial measures was slightly modified after abortion rights supporters lashed out against language that included limits on exemptions for such situations as rape and incest (Adams, 2/3).

4 Feb 2011

Opinions: Global Fund; Accountability for Haiti Aid

Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson writes of the "breathless Associated Press story" about the uncovering of some corruption in grants given by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the subsequent reaction: "When scandals fit preexisting ideological narratives, they assume a life of their own. This particular narrative - the story of useless, wasted aid - is durable. It is also misleading and might be deadly."

4 Feb 2011

Research roundup: Comparing profit and nonprofit hospice care; Hospital mortality and spending; High-deductible insurance plans

Association Of Hospice Agency Profit Status With Patient Diagnosis, Location of Care, and Length of Stay - "The current Medicare Hospice Benefit reimburses hospices at a fixed per diem rate that does not consider the patient's diagnosis, location of care, or hospice LOS [length-of-stay]," and as such, "profit can be maximized by caring for patients with certain diagnoses that require fewer skilled services, patients residing in nursing homes, or patients with longer hospice stays."

4 Feb 2011

Governors get advice from Obama administration on how to handle Medicaid

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius provided information Thursday to state officials explaining ways in which current law allows them to change the federal-state program — to gain savings without slashing eligibility.

4 Feb 2011

DaVita enters definitive agreement to acquire DSI Renal for $690 million

DaVita, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DSI Renal, for approximately $690 million, subject to adjustments. The company expects to close the transaction in the second or third quarter of this year.

4 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 4, 2011

Today's headlines include reports that Virginia's attorney general is asking the Supreme Court to expedite its review of the state's challenge to the health law. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is doling out advice to governors about how to handle Medicaid.

4 Feb 2011

Merck reports GAAP net income of $861 million for 2010

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the fourth quarter of $0.88, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, restructuring costs and merger-related expenses.

4 Feb 2011

MEDfx announces Direct Project pilot to demonstrate health information exchange among providers

MEDfx Corporation today announced a Direct Project pilot that demonstrates health information exchange among providers using a combination of the standards and protocols supported by the Direct Project and the FHA CONNECT Gateway. MEDfx is participating in, and is a contributor to, the nationally-sponsored Direct Project under the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT.

4 Feb 2011

Senate rejects health law repeal but approves amendment to undo 1099 provision

Senate Democrats successfully fought back an GOP-led effort to repeal the health law. News outlets report, though, that the Senate vote could not only help influence the courts' consideration of challenges to the law, but also be a factor "on the long March" to elections in 2012. In addition, though the Senate blocked the push for a broad repeal of reform, the chamber did approve a measure to delete a reporting provision in the law that triggered significant opposition from the business community.

4 Feb 2011

Medica Research Institute announces three initial projects in collaboration with University of Minnesota

The Medica Research Institute today announced its first three research projects. The projects will be conducted in collaboration with senior investigators from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

4 Feb 2011

Report examines how health worker shortages could keep developing countries from achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment

A shortage of healthcare workers in developing countries may hold developing countries back from achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goal to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2015, according to a report by the WHO/Global Health Workforce Alliance, IRIN/PlusNews writes.

4 Feb 2011

Health Care News and Research

Unemployed people suffer more often from physical, emotional complaints: GEDA study

Roundup: Fla. turns down another $1m grant; Colo. provider fees; Conn. bulk Rx purchases

Newly identified mosquito subspecies highly susceptible to malaria parasite, prefers outdoors

Be R.E.A.D.Y. safety initiative to help reduce tube feeding errors in hospitalized kids

National Minority Quality Forum launches novel resource to map lung cancer prevalence estimates

Tenet signs multi-year agreement with UnitedHealthcare

Pay gap growing for women physicians

March of Dimes appreciates FDA for approving new drug to prevent preterm births

Recent releases in Global Health

Roundup: House Republicans plan to advance anti-abortion agenda with action next week; Medical device makers lobby to repeal tax

Opinions: Global Fund; Accountability for Haiti Aid

Research roundup: Comparing profit and nonprofit hospice care; Hospital mortality and spending; High-deductible insurance plans

Governors get advice from Obama administration on how to handle Medicaid

DaVita enters definitive agreement to acquire DSI Renal for $690 million

First Edition: February 4, 2011

Merck reports GAAP net income of $861 million for 2010

MEDfx announces Direct Project pilot to demonstrate health information exchange among providers

Senate rejects health law repeal but approves amendment to undo 1099 provision

Medica Research Institute announces three initial projects in collaboration with University of Minnesota

Report examines how health worker shortages could keep developing countries from achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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